Major General Arthur Reginald Chater (7 February 1896 – 3 January 1979) was an officer in the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the interwar years, and

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Military career

Chater was commissioned into the Royal Marines Light Infantry in 1913. He served in the

and saw action at Antwerp with the Chatham Battalion of the Royal Marine Brigade in 1914.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey from 28 April to 12 May 1915, and in March 1918 he participated in the Allied raid on Zeebrugge. He was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

(DSO) in July 1918, the citation for which appeared in '' The Edinburgh Gazette'' and reads as follows: During the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

Chater served with the

Egyptian Army The Egyptian Army (), officially the Egyptian Ground Forces (), is the land warfare branch (and largest service branch) of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Until the declaration of the Republic and the abolishment of the monarchy on 18 June 1953, it w ...

and the Sudan Camel Corps. He became Commanding Officer of the Sudan Camel Corps in 1927, Commander of military operations in

Kordofan Kordofan ( ') is a former province of central Sudan. In 1994 it was divided into three new federal states: North Kordofan, South Kordofan and West Kordofan. In August 2005, West Kordofan State was abolished and its territory divided between N ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

in 1929 and Senior Royal Marines Officer at the East Indies Station in 1931. He served in the

as Military-Governor of

British Somaliland British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate (), was a protectorate of the United Kingdom in modern Somaliland. It was bordered by Italian Somalia, French Somali Coast and Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia (Italian Ethiopia from 1936 ...

from 1941, whose evacuation he oversaw following the Battle of Tug Argan, as Commander of the Portsmouth Division of the Royal Marines from 1943 and as Director of Combined Operations for India and South East Asia from 1944. Papers related to his service are held in the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives,

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, and comprise notes on Operation Lightning for the capture of Akyab Island, Burma, on 3 January 1945; photographs of

amphibious landings Amphibious warfare is a type of Offensive (military), offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the opera ...

by 15 Indian Corps at Kangaw, Burma, January 1945; and notes on combined operations training of allied forces for Operation Zipper, the planned invasion of Malaya, August 1945.''Research Guide Far East''
Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, King's College London, 2005. p. 3. Having been made a Companion of the Order of the Distinguished Service Order, he became Commander of the Chatham Group of Royal Marines in 1946 and retired in 1948. A road on the site of the former Royal Marine Infirmary Barracks in Deal, Kent, which was built in 1900 and demolished c.1990 was named Chater Court.

Honours

Chater was made a companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

, a commander of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

, and a member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Honours and awards

* Companion of the

– January 1941 * Commander of the Royal Victorian Order – June 1966 *

– July 1918 *

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

– June 1931

References

External links

Generals of World War II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chater, Arthur Governors of British Somaliland Somaliland Camel Corps officers Sudan Defence Force officers 1896 births 1979 deaths British Somaliland in World War II East African campaign (World War II) Royal Marines personnel of World War I Royal Marines generals of World War II Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Collections of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives People from Kensington Royal Marines major generals Military personnel from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea